IGBC Lunch & Learn: Whole Life Cycle Assessment- From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

Is your organisation treating Whole Life Cycle Assessment as just a compliance requirement – or as a strategic advantage?

As climate regulations tighten and expectations around transparency increase, Whole Life Cycle Assessment (WLCA) is becoming a critical tool for the built environment sector.

But leading organisations are going beyond compliance. They are using WLCA to identify carbon hotspots, improve design decisions, reduce lifecycle emissions, and gain a competitive edge.

Join this IGBC Lunch & Learn for a practical introduction to WLCA and learn how lifecycle thinking can support better project outcomes and stronger climate performance.

What is Whole Life Cycle Assessment?

Whole Life Cycle Assessment evaluates the total environmental impact of a building across its entire lifecycle – from material extraction and construction to operation, maintenance, and end-of-life.

This session will explain how WLCA works in practice and why it is becoming increasingly important as regulations and reporting requirements evolve across Europe.

What We’ll Cover

During this session, we will explore:

• The difference between operational and embodied carbon
• Understanding lifecycle modules A–D
• How early design decisions influence whole-life carbon performance
• The evolving regulatory landscape including:

✔EPBD Recast

✔Digital Product Passports

✔Growing requirements for lifecycle carbon disclosure

• The role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
• Data challenges, comparability issues and improving carbon insights

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

✔ Understand the principles of Whole Life Cycle Assessment
✔ Interpret WLCA results and identify carbon reduction opportunities
✔ Recognise key regulatory drivers shaping lifecycle carbon disclosure
✔ Understand the relationship between WLCA and certification schemes such as BREEAM and LEED
✔ Apply benchmarking approaches to evaluate project performance

Who Should Attend?

This session is relevant for professionals working across the built environment, including:

• Architects and urban planners
• Engineers and sustainability consultants
• ESG and sustainability managers
• Developers and real estate professionals
• Construction product manufacturers
• Policymakers and regulators
• Professionals involved in design, construction, or asset management

Speaker

Abdulhamid Alrehaili

Senior Sustainability Consultant & Energy Modeller

Abdulhamid Alrehaili is a senior sustainability consultant specialising in building performance, lifecycle carbon, and energy modelling. He leads energy efficiency services within the building performance division, managing a team of engineers delivering high-performance sustainability solutions.

His experience includes projects across residential, commercial and data centre developments, focusing on reducing both operational and embodied carbon.

Abdulhamid has worked extensively on:

• LEED, BREEAM and ILFI certifications
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• EU Taxonomy and CSRD alignment
• Energy audits and building performance modelling
• Renewable energy feasibility studies
• EPBD compliance assessments

He holds a Master’s degree in Energy Management from Technological University Dublin and a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering from South East Technological University.

His professional certifications include:

• AEE Certified Energy Manager
• BER Assessor
• BREEAM Associate
• PRM Energy Modeller
• Life Cycle Assessor (OneClick)

Why This Matters Now

With growing regulatory pressure and increased focus on embodied carbon, Whole Life Cycle Assessment is becoming an essential capability for organisations across the built environment.

Understanding WLCA can help teams make better design decisions, improve carbon transparency, and deliver more resilient, future-ready projects.

Register Now

This Lunch & Learn session is open to all and will provide practical insights for professionals looking to understand and apply lifecycle carbon thinking.

👉 Secure your place today. The session will be in Zoom and you will be receiving a confirmation email with the link on registration.